Scandals Within the Catholic Church...
And He said to His disciples, "It
is impossible that scandals should not come; but woe to him through whom
they come."
Luke 17:1"
In the time that
Jesus walked the earth, there was the greatest human scandalizer of all time,
Judas. Judas was one of twelve chosen by Jesus Christ Himself, so what was the
scandal rate among Christ's closest disciples? It was about 8 1/2
%.
"From the days of John the Baptist until
now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by
force."
Matthew 11:12
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers
did to the false prophets."
Luke 6:26"
"Blessed are you when men revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your
reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before
you."
Matthew 5:10-11
A comparison between Jesus Christ and His Mystical Body. He is the head and His
Church is His body (Ephesians 1:22-23). You cannot separate the head from the
body. They are one.
What happens to the one must also happen to the other.
Reference to Jesus
Christ is the first of the lines following, and to His Body, the Catholic
Church, the second.
They rebelled against His Authority.
They rebel
against its Authority, 2Peter 2:10.
They said Crucify Him, Matthew
27:23.
Heretics have been trying to crucify it for 2000 years.
He is
called Beelzebub, Matthew 10:25.
They call it the Church of Satan.
He
is a false messiah, Luke 22:70-71.
They say it is a false
church.
He called Himself the Son of GOD.
It claims it was founded by
GOD, Matthew 16:18.
He called Himself Truth, John 14:6.
It claims to
be infallible, 1Timothy 3:15.
He called Himself King, John 18:37.
It
says it is the only true Church, Matthew 16:18.
He could not sin.
It
has no spot or wrinkle, Ephesians 5:27.
He was not believed by many, Luke
22:67.
It is not believed by many.
He was denied by many, Luke
22:57-60.
It is denied by many.
He was derided, not being
understood.
It is derided, not being understood, 2Peter 2:12.
Not
understanding Him, they walked away, John 6:66.
Not understanding it, they
walked away.
He had many false accusers, Mark 14:56-59.
It has many
false accusers.
He was mocked, Luke 23:35-37.
It is mocked.
He
was scandalized, Luke 17:1-2.
It is scandalized.
He was hated without
a cause, John 15:18-25.
It is hated without a cause.
His accuser,
Judas, died, Matthew 27:5.
Its accusers die, but still, the Church lives on
to bury its accusers.
His enemies would stumble and fall, John
18:6.
Its enemies stumble and fall.
We have no king but Caesar, John
19:15.
We have no need of it, as we have the Bible.
Can anything good
come out of Nazareth? John 1:46.
Can anything good come from Rome?
They cried out, "Not this one but Barabbas", John 15:18-25.
It is
also rejected by the world.
He bore His Cross, John 19:17.
It bears a
cross also, the cross of persecution for almost 2000 years.
He died on
the Cross, John 19:30.
It has thousands of martyrs, many on crosses.
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me
before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but
because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you."
John
15:18-19
The Catholic Church is certainly not of the world, for it
is:
A City set on a Mountain, Matthew 5:14.
A Dwelling Place for GOD,
Ephesians 2:22.
A Spiritual House, 1Peter 2:5.
GOD's Building,
1Corinthians 3:9.
Mount Zion, Psalms 2:6, Micah 4:7, Hebrews 12:22.
My
Church, Matthew 16:18.
Our Mother, Galatians 4:26.
The Bride of Christ,
Joel 2:16, John 3:29, Revelation 21:2.
The Body of Christ, Ephesians 1:22-23,
Colossians 1:24.
The Church of GOD, Acts 20:28.
The Church of the
Firstborn, Hebrews 12:23.
The City of the Living GOD, Hebrews 12:22.
The
City of Truth, Zechariah 8:3.
The Congregation of Saints, Psalms
149:1.
The Daughter of the King, Psalms 45:13.
The dispenser of the Wisdom
of GOD, Ephesians 3:7-11.
The final authority of GOD on earth, Matthew
18:15-18.
The Fold of Christ, John 10:16.
The Heavenly Jerusalem,
Galatians 4:26.
The Holy City, Revelation 21:2.
The Holy Mountain,
Zechariah 8:3.
The House of Christ, Hebrews 3:6.
The House of GOD,
1Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 10:21.
The Household of GOD, Ephesians 2:19.
The
Kingdom of GOD, Luke 4:43.
The Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 13:31.
The
Lamb's Spouse, Revelation 19:7,21:9
The New Jerusalem, Isaiah 65:18,
Revelation 3:12,21:2.
The Pillar and Foundation of Truth, 1Timothy
3:15
Since the Catholic Church is the Body of Christ, it must experience
the same passion as He did. He was persecuted and calumnized unjustly, and so
must His Church suffer the same trials.
The persecutors and calumnizers
should realize that when they attack the Catholic Church, they are really
attacking its founder, Jesus Christ Himself.
In rejecting His Church, they
are in fact, rejecting Him.
"So now I say to you, keep away from these
men and let them alone. For if this plan or work, is of men, it will be
overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it.
Else perhaps you may find yourselves fighting even against God."
Acts
5:38-39
If only the attackers and detractors of the Catholic Church would
stop ignoring these verses and heed the very important message they present.
They might then notice that no man-made institution could possibly have lasted
for 2000 years, while at the same time having to endure the unending attacks of
constant slings and arrows from countless heretics and from all quarters.
Now
you please tell me, just who is protecting the Catholic Church?
Almost
2000 years later, His ONE and
ONLY Church lives stronger than ever.
No matter how hard the persecutors
try, His Kingdom will last forever,
Daniel 7:14, Hebrews 1:8.
His Church
will last until the end of the world as promised by Him in Matthew
28:20.
"BEHOLD, I HAVE GIVEN YOU POWER TO
TREAD UPON SERPENTS AND SCORPIONS, AND OVER ALL THE MIGHT OF THE ENEMY; AND
NOTHING SHALL HURT YOU."
Luke
10:19